(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to games, more specifically, it relates to games played in a court with balls.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
There is a group of groundball games in which one team moves a ball along the ground ultimately into a goal while another team attempts to defend their goal and take the ball away in order to mount their own attack. Games in this group include: soccer, in which a player uses his body (excluding his hands and arms) to propel the ball; lacrosse, in which the ball is propelled by a crosse (stick with a basket on the end); and field hockey, in which a curved stick is used to propel the ball. It is understood that when "groundball" is used in this application it refers to any or all of the above mentioned games.
While the game of soccer requires little in the way of equipment or uniforms, it does call for a large field for practice and play. The standard soccer field measures 120 yds..times.75 yds. (110 m.times.68 m) roughly 9000 sq. yds. Though the area of a soccer field is great, only two teams may practice at the same time on the same field as there are only two goals.
There are basically two objectives of practicing soccer. First, it is important for a competitor to develop stamina in order to avoid injury and play up to his potential. Also, there is a high degree of pedal dexterity and finesse required of players.
There are modifications in the training for other sports requiring stamina which are equally applicable to soccer. Distance runners commonly run up and down hills to improve their endurance just as football players "run bleachers". However, the incorporation of inclined ramps in a game court to aid training is heretofore unknown.
It has long been known that repeatedly hitting a ball against a wall improves hand-eye coordination. This method of practice has been extensively used in tennis and is equally applicable to foot-eye and head-eye coordination demanded in soccer.